Remembrance Honor Roll Call - Part 4

The last and fourth part of this year's Remembrance Day project. It took me the longest to prepare it (considering all four parts) as it was rather difficult to find the information on some of the men depicted in the post. Anyway, here they are.

As many men as many stories.

Aviation Radioman 2nd Class 

Chester Ervay Evans 

The son of Mr. Sidney G Evans and Ms. Effie May Brown, born on 12 April 1923 in Eckert Community, Gillespie County, TX (1). He attended the country school there.

Chester joined the Navy on 26 October 1942. He completed the training in California: San Diego, San Fransisco, Memphis, Pensacola, and North Island.  The man was transferred overseas on 12 April 1944.

Chester E Evans was a radioman and gunner on a career-based Hellcat fighter/bomber. His aircraft unit stationed on USS Lexington. On 17 January 1945, the plane took off with a long-distance search mission in South China Sea. Due to the deteriorating weather conditions, radio contact with the crew became impossible. They were supposed to land in Lingayen, The Philippines, however, the bomber never reached the place. Presumably, they ran out of fuel and attempted to land on water in the Lingayen Gulf Area.

ARM 2nd/C Chester Ervay Evans was announced missing in action and presumed dead (2). His name is memorialized on the walls of Missing at the Manila American Cemetery. The Memorial certificate dedicated to Chester is available here.

Awarded: the Air Medal, Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the Navy Expeditionary Medal.

Memorial plaque, The Nimitz Museum, Fredericksburg, TX

 

Technical Sergeant Thomas Wilburn Miller

Thomas W Miller was born in Kendall County on 23 February 1913. His parents were John Thomas Miller and Amanda Kuebel. In 1920 the family still lived in Kendall Co., Mr. Miller was a farmer (3)

By 1930, they had all moved to Gillespie county, Thomas Miller, Wilburn's father worked as a truck driver (4).

Thomas W Miller was inducted into the Army on 14 April 1942 in San Antonio. The man was assigned to the Quartermaster Corps. The record informs that Thomas W Miller had completed grammar school (5).

T/Sgt was in a car crash which occurred on Highway # 21, not far from Crockett, TX, in the afternoon on 17 November 1945. The man died when he was transported to a nearby hospital. He was 32 years, 8 months and 8 days (6).

Awarded: the World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation and the Army Good Conduct Medal

 

Master Sergeant Frank Chauncey French Jr. 

Frank C French was born in Utah on 11 August 1913 to parents Frank Chauncey Sr. and Theodore C Plamback. 

The man enlisted in the Army Air Forces on 29 April 1939.  In the registration record, he appears as a widower residing in Colorado. At that time he was employed at a leather manufacturing business (7).

On 24 June 1941, in Kimball, Kimball County, Nebraska,  Frank Jr. married Miss Emma Thekla Wilke of Gillespie County, TX (8).

Master Sergeant Frank C French Jr. served on "Miss Carriage", a B-17 plane, 43rd Bomber Group, Heavy 64th Bomber Squadron. On 1 December 1942, the crew of his plane was on a reconnaissance mission in the Buna and Gasmata area. They were reported "missing in action" when "Miss Carriage" did not return to the base. 

On 7 January 1946, Frank C French Jr. was declared dead. His name is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery (9).

Awarded: the Purple Heart, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, Army Good Conduct Medal, and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal 

 

Staff Sergeant Alberto August Henry Arhelger

 

Alberto came to this world on 29 July 1920 in the family of  Mr. Alfred Ahrelger and Ms. Bertha Koenig (10, 11). He was a direct descendant of the German pioneer Johann Jacob Arhelger. 

Mr. Alfred, his wife, and children lived in Justice Precinct #1, Gillespie County. Alfred, Alberto's father, was a foreman at the local Granite Quarry (12). Alberto completed the local grammar school and some time after that joined the Army.

According to the note posted in the Harper herald after Alberto's death, the man had served in the Army for 7 years, and at the Pacific war theater during 1945. S/Sgt. Alberto Arhelger was honorably discharged on 3 January 1946 and reenlisted on the same day. That is the only enlistment record regarding the soldier's service which I have managed to find. On 3 January Alberto was reenlisted in Fort Sam Houston for Hawaiian Department/ the Air Corps. His civilian occupation is given as "skilled in the manufacture of electrical machinery and accessories". Possibly, Alberto had served in the National Guard/Federal Service (13).

After the reenlistment Staff Sergeant Alberto Arhelger came back home for a short furlough. Tragically, he lost his life in a car crash which happened on 15 January 1946. He was buried in Fredericksburg, TX 3 days later (14).

Awarded: the World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, and the Army Good Conduct Medal.

 

Seaman Second Class Arron Charles Roeder (L)

Seaman Second Class Allen Willie Roeder (R)

 

The twins Arron and Allen (15) were born in San Antonio, Bexar County in October 1925. Allen's birth record (16) and the note published in the Boerne Star (17) say it was 10 October 1925, however, Arron's birth record informs he was born on 1 October (18). The boys' parents were Louis Peter Roeder and Olga Frantzen.

 

In 1930, Allen and Arron, their parents and step-siblings Harry and Lela, still lived in San Antonio. The father of the family worked as a carpenter (19). In 1933 the family moved to Boerne where the boys attended the local Balcones grade school and later, the Boerne High School which they completed in June 1944. During their school years, the boys were active in sports - Arron was a co-captain of the high school football team, Allen was an excellent pitcher of the baseball team.

 

After the graduation, the twins joined the US Navy (US Naval Reserve). They spent 7 weeks at the training camp in San Diego after which they came back home for a furlough. Subsequently, Arron and Allen Roeder received their assignment. The boys had asked not to be separated, the two of them were assigned to the service on the USS Bismarck Sea, an escort carrier.

 

The Roeder boys experienced the war front during the invasion of Layte, Luzon, and finally, Iwo Jima. On 21 February 1945, the USS Bismark Sea, with the escort carrier Task Group which included 5 other US crafts, was performing a routine mission on the Pacific Ocean. A kamikaze Japanese plane hit Bismarck Sea - the brohters Arron and Allen Roeder, and all the crew of their naval craft perished (20, 21).

 

The names of Seamen 2 Class Arron Charles Roeder and Allen Willie Roeder are memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. The Memorial Certificated dedicated to Allen Roeder is available here. Arron's Memorial Certificate is here.

Arron C Roeder was awarded: the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the Navy Expeditionary Medal.

Allen W Roeder was awarded: the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the Navy Expeditionary Medal.

 

First Lieutenant Victor H Haag

born on 9 December 1917, La Moure County North Dakota, to the family of Theodore M and Hildegarde A Haag. Three years later, the parents, Victor and his baby brother Francis EM still lived in LaMoure, ND. Mr. Theodore Haag was a clergyman (22). By 1930, the family had moved to Elgin, Bastrop, Texas where Victor's father served as a Lutheran pastor (23).

Young Victor Haag was a student of the Elgin High School. Later, when the Haags relocated to Fredericksburg, he continued his education in the local high school. Later, Victor attended the Lutheran college in Seguin. In 1940, he was registered with his family, the parents and 3 siblings (brothers, Francis and Kermit, and a sister, Adeline) during the Census. At that time, they lived in Fredericksburg, Justice Precinct #1, Gillespie, TX (24). In the same year Victor H Haag graduated from the Texas University with the bachelor's degree in pharmacy.

On 23 April 1941, the man married Miss Edna Irne Sandstorm (25). They lived at 608 Texas Avenue, Austin,  and Victor worked as a pharmacist at the Kelly Field Air Force Base.

Victor H Haag enrolled in the Air Force service in 1943. Soon, he became a pilot of a C-46 plane and was sent overseas to the China-India-Burma war theater in November 1944. 

First Lt. Victor Haag perished in a plane crash. It happened in Burma on 13 August 1945. Besides, the wife, Victor was survived by a 10-month-old daughter, his parents, and siblings.

Awarded: the World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, and the Army Good Conduct Medal

 GLORY TO THE FALLEN HEROES

Other parts of my Remembrance Day project:

 

Honor Roll Call - Part 1 

Honor Roll Call - Part 2

Honor Roll Call - Part 3

Resources:

1. "Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6P9-8MZ : 13 February 2020), Chester Ervay Evans, 1923.

2. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26481161/fredericksburg-standard/ 

3. "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCSW-W9X : accessed 23 December 2020), Wilburn Miller in household of Tom J Miller, Kendall, Texas, United States; citing , sheet , line , family , NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll ; FHL microfilm.

4. "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HYS4-7T2 : accessed 23 December 2020), Wilburn Miller in household of Tom Miller, Precinct 1, Gillespie, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 3, sheet 4B, line 87, family 109, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2335; FHL microfilm 2,342,069.  

5. "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KMXM-X92 : 5 December 2014), Thomas W Miller, enlisted 14 Apr 1942, San Antonio, Texas, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

6. https://sites.rootsweb.com/~txgilles/MillerThomasWbio.html

7. Find a grave

8. "Nebraska Marriages, 1855-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2ZP-J5Q2 : 28 November 2018), Frank Chauncey French and Emma Thekla Wilke, 24 Jun 1941; citing Marriage, Kimball, Kimball, Nebraska, United States, Nebraska State Historical Society, Lincoln; FHL microfilm 2,079,155.

9. HonorStates.org 

10. "Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6P9-C4F : 13 February 2020), Alberto August Henry Arhelger, 1920. 

11. "Texas Deaths and Burials, 1903-1973", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6TD-3GQ : 13 February 2020), Alberto A.h. Arhelger S/sgt., 1946.

12. "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HYM4-FPZ : accessed 22 December 2020), Alfred Arhelger, Precinct 1, Gillespie, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 3, sheet 10B, line 56, family 253, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2335; FHL microfilm 2,342,069.  

13. "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8LC-775 : 5 December 2014), Alberto A H Arhelger, enlisted 03 Jan 1946, Ft Sam Houston, Texas, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland. 

14. The Harper Herald (Harper, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, January 25, 1946, newspaper, January 25, 1946; Harper, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1135315/: accessed December 22, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Harper Library. 

15. Clipping - Davis, Jack R. The Boerne Star (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 29, 1945, newspaper, March 29, 1945; Boerne, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth856362/: accessed December 28, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Patrick Heath Public Library. 

16. "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VDSH-3DD : 5 December 2014), Allin Roeder, 10 Oct 1925; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.  

17. Davis, Jack R. The Boerne Star (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 12, 1945, newspaper, April 12, 1945; Boerne, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth856312/: accessed December 28, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Patrick Heath Public Library. 

18. "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V8ZZ-FFV : 1 January 2015), Aaron Roeder, 01 Oct 1925; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.

19. "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HPZ6-1MM : accessed 28 December 2020), Louis Roeder, San Antonio, Bexar, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 7, sheet 21A, line 11, family 363, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2291; FHL microfilm 2,342,025.

20. Findagrave.com 

21. Davis, Jack R. The Boerne Star (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 12, 1945, newspaper, April 12, 1945; Boerne, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth856312/: accessed December 28, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Patrick Heath Public Library. 

22. "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MC8T-LXP : accessed 18 December 2020), T M Haag, LaMoure, North Dakota, United States; citing ED 149, sheet 3A, line 23, family 49, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1335; FHL microfilm 1,821,335.

23. "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HP9T-R6Z : accessed 18 December 2020), Theodore M Haag, Elgin, Bastrop, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 11, sheet 12A, line 18, family 288, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2290; FHL microfilm 2,342,024.  

24. "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KWV2-DL3 : 29 February 2020), Theo Haag, Fredericksburg, Justice Precinct 1, Gillespie, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 86-1A, sheet 3B, line 48, family 66, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4040.

25. "Texas Marriages, 1837-1973", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FXSD-X5Z : 22 January 2020), Victor H. Hoag, 1941.

26. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19513666/austin-american-statesman/

HonorStates.org